Chronological History

Sometimes we speak of world history as though it belongs to people. It doesn't—it belongs to God, and though people play prominently within the historical narrative, it always remains under God's auspices and control. The problem with losing the right perspective isn't that we'll get the facts wrong, it's that we'll fail to understand what they mean, what the purpose of past events is, and what we can look forward to.

Human history began all at once in the same place: the Garden of Eden, where God made Adam and Eve as the crown of all Creation. He told them to fill the earth and take dominion of it, and He also told them not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They ate the fruit anyway, and mankind was removed from paradise and introduced to tension, pain, and resistance.

The story of the world is in many ways simply the story of adversity. For the enemies of God, it's adversity in the form of the failure and futility of purely human endeavor; for God's people, it's the story of fighting for the truth against secular philosophies, fighting for holiness despite the pervasiveness of sin, and fighting for the Gospel in the face of persecution and death.

Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the Prince of Peace, the defeater of Death, and the King of the Universe, the saver of souls and the punisher of wickedness. His kingdom is the restoration and glorious fulfillment of the paradise from which Adam and Eve were removed, and we work, wait, hope and pray for the quick fulfillment of His will in all things.

This is our framework for history. While it's important to study things like the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the ancient Near East, it's only important when investigated through the lens of God's ultimate sovereignty and plan. The story of mankind is the story of redemption, and only when we analyze battles, kings, treaties, and catastrophes from God's perspective can we truly make sense of them.

Otherwise, it's all fairly irrelevant and useless. Sure, there's Napoleon's dictum that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, but a quick survey of the past will show that each successive generation does repeat the sins of their fathers, and that without Christ's real physical life on Earth as a centering point, there's no real cause for optimism or hope of any kind.

Christ's love not only makes the trajectory of history cause for hope; it reveals the truly great moments of the past, events that to the secular eye seem insignificant or even pernicious. We're speaking of the progress of the true Church, of course, and of each soul that God calls and makes His own through the agency of His Holy Spirit. These are the milestones we look for and celebrate.

We carry a lot of world history products. Because it's the story of God's work in the world and our human responses, we believe it's important to know and understand. Not everything we carry is Christian; there are plenty of secular resources here. We encourage you to use whichever ones work best for your situation, but that you do so with a view to understanding the will and work of the One who made history in the first place.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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322 Items found Print
Active Filters: Historical Fiction, 5th grade (Ages 10-11), Trade Paperback
Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys
by Patricia Lee Gauch, illustrated by Margot Tomes
from Betterway Books
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Addy Learns a Lesson
by Connie Porter
from American Girl
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Adventures of the American Revolution
by Susan Olasky
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Against the World
by Henry Coray
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Alia's Mission
by Mark Alan Stamaty
from Dragonfly Books
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Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad
On My Own History
by Marlene Targ Brill
from First Avenue Editions
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in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
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American Twins of the Revolution
by Lucy Fitch Perkins
from Salem Ridge Press
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Andie's Moon
Historical House: 1969
by Linda Newbery
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Anna and the King (adapted)
by Margaret Landon
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Anna's Fight for Hope
Sisters in Time
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Apple and the Arrow
by Conrad & Mary Buff
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1952 Newbery Honor Book
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Augustine Came to Kent
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Barbara Willard
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Bat 6
by Virginia Euwer Wolff
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Battle of Seattle
by Douglas Bond
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$11.99
Beggars' Bible
by Louise Vernon
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Beggars' Victory
Struggle for Freedom Series #3
by Piet Prins
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Behind the Bedroom Wall
by Laura E. Williams
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Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Beorn the Proud
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Madeleine Polland
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Bible Smuggler
by Louise Vernon
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Big John's Secret
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
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Birchbark House
by Louise Erdrich
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Bite of the Gold Bug
by Barthe DeClements
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Black Fox of Lorne
by Marguerite de Angeli
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Black Radishes
by Susan Lynn Meyer
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Blackthorn Winter
Monroe Family Chronicles #1
by Doug Wilson
from Veritas Press
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Blood on the River: James Town, 1607
by Elisa Carbone
Reprint from Puffin Books
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$8.99
Blue Birds
by Caroline Starr Rose
Dgs from Puffin Books
Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-7th grade
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Bold Journey
by Charles Bohner
from Sandpiper Books
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Bold Journey
by Charles Bohner
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Boris
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Boy and the Samurai
by Erik Christian Haugaard
Reissue from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Boy in the Alamo
by Margaret Cousins
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Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade
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Boy in the Alamo
by Margaret Cousins
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Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade
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$19.00
Boy of Old Prague
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Boy of the Pyramids
by Ruth Fosdick Jones
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Brady
by Jean Fritz
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Breaking Stalin's Nose
by Eugene Yelchin
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Bronze Bow
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1962 Newbery Medal winner
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Brother's Keeper
by Julie Lee
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by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts)
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By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1940 Newbery Honor Book
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Captain's Dog
by Roland Smith
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Carolina's Courage
by Elizabeth Yates
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Carpenter of Zerbst
by P. de Zeeuw
from Inheritance Publications
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
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Castle Diary
by Richard Platt
from Candlewick Press
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Cat of Bubastes
by G. A. Henty
from Dover Publications
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Cecily's Portrait
Historical House: 1895
by Adele Geras
from Educational Development Corporation
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Changes for Addy
by Connie Porter
from American Girl
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Children of the Covered Wagon
by Mary Jane Carr
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-5th grade
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$16.75
Cleared for Action!
by Stephen W. Meader
from Bethlehem Books
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Clearing Weather
by Cornelia Meigs
Repint from Dover Publications
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1929 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Coming Evil
by Vivian Vande Velde
from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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$13.95
Crispin at the Edge of the World
by Avi
from Hyperion/Madison Press
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Crispin: The Cross of Lead
by Avi
from Hyperion/Madison Press
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2003 Newbery Medal winner
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Crispin: The End of Time
by Avi
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Cry From Egypt
by Hope Auer
from Great Waters Press
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Daniel's Story
by Carol Matas
from Scholastic Inc.
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Daria Solves a Mystery
by Norma Jean Lutz
from Barbour Publishing
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Day the World Stopped Turning
by Michael Morpurgo
from Square Fish Publishing
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Deirdre
by David Guard; illustrated by Gretchen Guard
2nd edition from Celestial Arts
for 4th-6th grade
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Detectives in Togas
by Henry Winterfeld
from Harcourt
Humorous Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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Dispelling the Tyranny
Struggle for Freedom Series #2
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
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Don't You Know There's a War On?
by Avi
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 4th-7th grade
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Down Ryton Water
by E.R. Gaggin
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-6th grade
1942 Newbery Honor
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Dutch Color
by Doug Jones
from Canon Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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$12.00
Early Thunder
by Jean Fritz
from Puffin Books
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$6.99
Earthquake!
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
from Puffin Books
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Earthquake!
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
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Echo Mountain
by Lauren Wolk
from Dutton Children's Books
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$8.99
Echoes of the White Giraffe
by Sook Nyul Choi
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-7th grade
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$10.95
Elephant Run
by Roland Smith
Reprint from Disney-Hyperion
for 4th-8th grade
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$6.99
Elise the Actress
by Norma Jean Lutz
from Barbour Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Sisters in Time (Location: SER-SIS)
Enemy Brothers
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Constance Savery
from Bethlehem Books
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.95
Faith and Freedom Trilogy
Faith and Freedom
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$33.97
Faithful, But Not Famous
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Farrier of Buda
by P. de Zeeuw
from Pro Ecclesia
Historical Fiction for
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$9.95
Father's Promise
by Donna Hess
from Bob Jones University Press
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Fear in the Forest
by Cateau de Leeuw
from Bethlehem Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Fiddler's Green
from Rabbit Room Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99
Fighting Ground
by Avi
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Finding Providence
An I Can Read Chapter Book
by Avi
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-5th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
Fingal's Quest
by Madeleine Polland
from Hillside Education
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Flame-Colored Taffeta
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
For the Heart of Holland
Struggle for Freedom Series #4
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.95
Forty-Acre Swindle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Forty-Acre Swindle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
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$8.99
Give Me Liberty
by L. M. Elliott
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Glory Be
by Augusta Scattergood
Reprint from Scholastic Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99
God King
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Joanne Williamson
from Bethlehem Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95 $9.50 (4 in stock)
Gone Crazy in Alabama
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Reprint from Amistad Press
for 4th-7th grade
Coretta Scott King Award
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$8.99
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
by Laura Amy Schlitz
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-9th grade
2008 Newbery Medal Winner
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$12.99
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